Founder of the Intersex Society of Zambia, Mphatso Sakala, has revealed he became suicidal after finding out about his biological condition.
According to Mphatso, his parents decided to raise him as a girl even though he did not have a female reproductive organ. Despite having what looked like a penis, Mphatso had the internal traits of a girl. As a result, doctors could not identify him with a particular gender.
In an interview on SVTV Africa with DJ Nyaami, the activist mentioned that he dressed like a girl and attended a girl’s school but had no vagina. Upon this realisation, Mphatso began asking questions about his identity. That caused him to be suicidal.
“Before I came to understand why I was different, I thought about committing suicide several times. I felt God had neglected (and asked) why I was born this way. (I thought) no one would ever love me, and maybe it’s true that I was cursed.
People will tell you intersex people are cursed and demon-possessed. I didn’t want to be associated with that. I hated that to the point that I wished to commit suicide,” he noted.
Speaking on his condition, Mphatso indicated that he has both ovarian (found in women) and testicular (found in men) tissues. Also, he began developing breasts as he aged.
“In the past, they measured the length of the child’s penis. If it doesn’t pass a certain length, then it will be considered a clitoris. That is what happened in my case. They considered it a large clitoris,” he added.
Intersex Society of Zambia is an NGO that encourages the recognition and protection of the rights of intersex persons in Zambia. Mphatso Sakala is the head of the organisation.
Kindly watch the full interview below;
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